Experts from across the globe have met in Perthshire to launch the Year of the Salmon – an international campaign that is focused at raising awareness of the serious issues facing the fish.
It comes as the Scottish Government publishes new proposed guidance on salmon stocks on Scottish rivers, advising where fish can be taken home and where mandatory catch and return rules – first introduced in 2016 in an attempt to halt the decline – must remain in force.
Climate change, pollution and fish farming have all been blamed for the falling numbers. A ban on netting salmon has also failed to produce the desired results, with populations continuing to shrink.
Joannes Hansen, North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), one of the international bodies behind the campaign, said the International Year of the Salmon aimed to foster understanding of the many issues facing the species.